Does The World Love This Game? If You Are The NBA, The Answer Again is Yes…

October 7, 2009 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

This month three of the four major sports leagues in North America…NHL, NBA and NFL…will make their annual pilgrimage across the pond to court fans, build brand and extend what is hoped to be a more global reach in the coming years, when the economy improves and the time becomes right for leagues to play on both sides of the Atlantic. Two, NHL and NFL, have taken the regular season route for games, while the NBA continues its preseason schedule of games, this year in London. All three have their basic effectiveness and have slightly different goals…the NHL looks to markets that have a built in understanding of the sport and a strong professional base…this year Finland and Stockholm…while the NFL uses the game as a one week showcase for American football for expats and those who watch on TV.

Gaming With The Pols…Obama Gets There First

October 16, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

As he was first to attract attention to the casual sports fan by playing hoops, Senator Barack Obama has now gone another step to reach the younger casual fan, by integrating ads into online video games, as reported today on gamespot.com and in the Sports Business Daily. As the tight election continues to try and cultivate the undecided or the apathetic votes (witness Sarah Palen’s hockey puck drop last week in Philly) the Obama campaign always looks first to the young and hip and the water cooler talk, areas which sometimes went unaddressed in previous elections.  This will probably be the first step in much-talked about web 2.0 marketing as it involves sports and gaming going forward…the  ablility to imbed online images in games  for download immediately, thus reaching a non traditional audience or growing an existing audience that used to take weeks and months to activate with.  Now whether it will engage the gamer or annoy him or her remains to be seen as there is always pushback when the mainstream comes calling.  One thing is clear though…the move, like the Senator’s ability to play hoops, generates buzz and makes him a little more relevant in a different demo.  Great placement in a space where equal time doesn’t apply yet.